


Hold You Once Again

by erinn_bedford



Category: NCIS: Los Angeles
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, brought to you by my hatred of hospitals and love of run on sentences, let them be happy pls and thx, nerds being nerds, reunion fic!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:55:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21552628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erinn_bedford/pseuds/erinn_bedford
Summary: She hasn’t seen Eric Beale in over three months, and now he is here, less than a few footsteps away, and her heart just cracks. He’s alive, and breathing, and the heart monitor shows that his heart is beating, and he’s okay, he’s okay, he’s okay.Or, Eric comes back.
Relationships: Eric Beale/Nell Jones
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	Hold You Once Again

She’s learned to tolerate hospital corridors. She still dislikes them and the too bright lights and the never ending hum of terrible things happening, but spending almost every weekend in one for a few months makes her almost numb to them.

But long term wings are much different than post operation floors, and the nurses don’t smile at her as much, or know her name, or offer her much needed hugs when it’s been a rough day, too busy dealing with a new collection of faces and families and patients every few hours.

Her mother’s room is private and secluded, but this corridor is loud and full of other anxious loved ones, and Nell is halfway to losing her mind.

Eric Beale was hurt today. According to Sam and Callen, Eric Beale almost died. 

Eric Beale, as in her boyfriend.

Eric Beale, as in the man who might be the love of her life.

Her hands have been shaking since they found him, and she’s been trying to hold back the teas in her eyes since she got off the plane in San Francisco. She’s missed him for months now, struggled with simple tasks like sleeping and eating some days because she was so worried, and now he was here, in the same building as her, and she’s still sitting by herself along the wall of the terrible hospital corridor, because someone tried to kill him today.

This wasn’t how their reunion was supposed to go.

Kensi falls into the chair next to her and passes her the terrible hospital coffee before patting her knee, and it’s taking every bit of her remaining strength to not burst into tears.

“He’s going to be okay.” 

Nell blinks, and angrily brushes away a tear. “I know.”

“He’s strong. And this team has been through hell and made it to the other side, andif any one can do, it’s Eric.” Kensi says, knotting their hands together. The rest of the team had been here before, but Kensi had finally convinced Sam and Callen to let Deeks drive them to the hotel down the road so they could get some much needed sleep, promising to let them know of any news. They had tried to protest, but Callen kept yawning halfway through his arguments until Deeks grabbed them both and pushed them to the exit.

That had been 2 hours ago.

Nell takes a sip of the coffee and refuses to let herself spiral. The bitterness keeps her present, keeps her mind focused on things like the ugly lights and even uglier art on the walls, and keeps her from thinking the worst.

She cannot lose him. She’s already losing her mom, and the last thing she needs is to lose someone else, someone she loves, someone who somehow became one of the most important people in her life.

They have plans. Plans that were put on hold when Hetty whisked him away to San Francisco, but plans nonetheless. Plans that gave Nell something to focus on instead of worrying about him every second.

They want to get a dog, and start a garden in the backyard, and talked about maybe even adopting a kid one day. They want to go Spain and he wants her to teach him how to cook, and they are going to paint their kitchen yellow, and they are going to build a life together. So she can’t lose him, not when it took them so long to finally get here. To a place where they admitted there was something between them, that they were more than friends, to get to the point where they were both comfortable enough to look at each other and go _I choose you._

She’s not supposed to lose him before they’ve even really begun.

So she drinks the coffee and listens to Kensi prattle on about things to keep her mind off of the surgery, like the bar and Deeks’ micro brewery, and Hetty’s secret stash of tea that she discovered in the weapons room.

She drinks the coffee until she can only taste the bitterness and can only think of how much she hates hospital coffee and hospital vending machines and just hospitals in general until the a nurse comes into the corridor calling for Beale.

She stands abruptly, dropping her empty paper cup to the floor, and Kensi wraps an arm around her to stop her from trembling.

“Come with me dears,” the nurse says, and Kensi uses one hand to text Deeks, while using the other to keep Nell standing. 

The nurse leads them through a winding hallway, and Nell feels like she can’t breathe, and then the nurse stops and takes her hand, patting it like the nurses in her mothers hospital, and she’s crying again.

“He’s right in here. Still asleep, but the surgery went well.” She squeezes her hand. “He’s going to be just fine.”

Nell hears Kensi thank her, but she’s already moving into the dimly lit room, her eyes falling on him, pale and bruised in the hospital bed, and she freezes. She hasn’t seen Eric Beale in over three months, and now he is here, less than a few footsteps away, and her heart just cracks.

He’s alive, and breathing, and the heart monitor shows that his heart is beating, and he’s okay, he’s okay, _he’s okay._

Kensi brushes her hand across her back and leads her to the chairs next to the bed. “I’m going to call Deeks and give him an update. You going to be okay?” She asks.

Nell nods and then she’s gone, and it’s just her and Eric. He has a black eye and his hair is a disaster, and she can see his glasses are shattered on side table, but he’s here, and he’s breathing, and his arm might be wrapped up and in a sling, but he’s alive. Alive and next to her, and all she has to do is reach out, and this will be real. This is not a dream.

She’s missed him and worried about him for months, and now he’s close enough to touch, she’s afraid that any second this isgoing to crash and she’s going to be back in OPS, watching helplessly and Sam and Callen burstthrough a door only to find him not there. OR worse.

Her hands are still shaking, but she reaches and grabs his hand. 

His hands are freezing, and he’s thinner than when he left, but he stirs, just slightly, and she can’t stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. This is real. He’s here, and he’s as okay as she can hope for, and this is not how she expected their reunion to go, but it’s the one they are getting, so she’s going to make the best of it.

He squeezes her hand weakly, and then his eyes flutter open, and god she’s missed him so much.

“Hey,” she says, standing up so he can see her. Eric blinks, and blinks and blinks, and then his face cracks into a smile, she can hear the heart monitor speed up just slightly and makes her entire heart explode. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“Nell.” His voice cracks, and then he’s tugging her closer, and she angles herself to she can press her lips against his.

She runs her fingers over his cheeks and through his knotted hair, and it’s been three months since she’s seen him, three months since she’s talked to him, three months since she’s kissed him, and she loves him so much, she never wants to let him out of her sight again.

“How are you feeling?” She asks, pulling back enough to rest her head against his chest.

“Like I’ve been shot,” he jokes, voice rough and tired. She knows he needs sleep right now, but she doesn’t want to let him go. “I missed you. More than anything.”

She props her head up so she can look at him, and he looks exhausted and pale and like he’s been through hell, but he’s smiling, looking at her like she’s the most amazing thing he’s ever seen and her heart skips a beat.

“I missed you.” She lets her fingers ghost over his bruise, and his eyes follow her every move. “I love you.” 

His face breaks into another smile, one that she knows is reserved just for her. “I love you, more.”

“Most,” she whispers, pressing a kiss against his nose. And it’s been three months, and he’s been shot, and they are in a terrible hospital bed, but Eric Beale came back to her. 

They’ve said I love you before. Many times since they finally admitted it, since they moved in together, since they decided they can. But this time it feels different. It feels like something more.

“I’m never letting you leave OPS again. Ever,” she says, before kissing him again, soft and slow.

“Whatever you want.”

Every time he blinks he takes longer to open his eyes again.

The door creaks open and Kensi smiles at them, two more cups of terrible hospital coffee in her hands.

“Welcome back, Beale. The boys said they’ll be here once Sam and Callen get some sleep.” 

Eric nods, but he’s already halfway back to sleep, so Nell presses another kiss to his cheek and gently moves herself back off the bed. But he reaches for her hand, an instinct more than anything, and Nell knows everything is going to work out.

They are going to be able to get a dog and start a vegetable garden, and maybe do something as crazy as getting married. He’s safe, and his heart is beating, and they are going to have all the time in the world to build their life together. 

Kensi passes her the coffee and grabs her free hand.

“You okay?”

Nell watches as Eric’s breathing slows until she’s sure he’s asleep before taking a sip of the terrible coffee and turning to Kensi.

“We will be.”

Kensi smiles before squeezing her hand.

“We will.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks for reading! Sorry I kind of disappeared. I've been trying to write something about Eric being gone since it was revealed he was going to be missing for a few episodes, and uhhhh, I finally wrote something. Like six hours before he comes back. Whoops. Anyway, here's to hoping for some good angst and then a really good Neric kiss. We've been deprived and we have earned it.
> 
> Title from Scars by James Bay.
> 
> As always, you can find me on tumblr [here!](https://fallinfor-youreyes.tumblr.com/)


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